1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to food products useful as comestible bases and to methods for their preparation. More particularly, the present invention relates to comestible bases containing citrus juice vesicles and to the methods of cooking by which the bases are prepared.
2. The Prior Art
Certain waste materials are produced in the manufacture of orange, grapefruit, lemon, etc., juice from the citrus fruit. For years problems with the disposal of the waste citrus material has prompted attempts to utilize this waste material. Initial screening separates solids material such as peel and seeds from the juice. Generally, the layer material is dried, comminuted, and used for cattle feed. Alternatively, the albedo/peel can be elaborately processed to provide purified pectin useful for jelly, jam and the like.
Finer materials (i.e., pulp) associated with the juice is similarly segregated from the juice by screening. A variety of terms have been loosely used in the art to refer to this pulp material or parts thereof in its various physical or processed forms. It has been called at various times in its untreated state, "juice vesicles", "juice sacs" or "finisher pulp". The juice vesicles are the membranes forming the juice sacs. During juicing operations the juice sacs rupture and release their juice. Thus, for purposes of the present invention, "juice vesicles" is used synonymously for the residual juice sac materials remaining after the release of the juice from the juice sac.
The finisher pulp typically is combined with the peel residue an the mixture is used for cattle feed since the pulp is not a good source of pectin compared to the peel itself. In some instances, the pulp is recovered, frozen and even freeze-dried to be used in dry juice powders which form orange juice drinks when reconstituted with water (see, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,246,993 issued Apr. 19, 1966 R. C. Webster et al and U.S. Pat. No. 3,365,310 issued Jan. 20, 1968 to R. C. Webster).
In commercial juice production, the pulp is washed to recover cold water soluble sugars which are present in the pulp material in dilute amounts. Although the cold water soluble sugars are initially present in relatively high concentrations on a dry solids basis (i.e., 30% by weight), on a wet basis the sugars concentration is quite low since the total solids content of the finisher pulp is only 3% to 5%. Some pectin-like materials are also washed away along with the soluble sugars to leave a material referred to as "washed juice vesicles".
Both washed and unwashed juice vesicle material which has been drum dried, spray dried or solvent dried has been suggested for use as a food additive. Such suggested utilization is based upon the excellent water-binding and the good oil-binding properties of the material. One reference (see, "Processing and Potential Uses for Dried Juice Sacs," by J. W. Kesterson and R. J. Braddock, Food Technology, Feb. 1973, pp. 52-54) suggests its utilization in a wide variety of food products but has no teaching of actual use in any food product.
Past efforts have included attempts at utilizing "protopectin" derived from citrus residue including dried vesicles. "Protopectin" is a non-specific term generally denoting insoluble pectinaceous material. For example, several art efforts have been made at incorporating small amounts of dried or treated protopectin into breads or cakes (see, U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,952,548 issued Sept. 13, 1960 to L. T. Work; 3,190,756 issued June 22, 1965 to W. Aurell; and 3,196,020 issued July 20, 1965 to W. Aurell). These patents disclose elaborately treating the protopectin with various lipids or colloid materials to decrease the rate or amount of hydration of the protopectins. Without such treatment, these patents teach that the rapid hydration of these extremely hydrophilic materials causes doughs or batters to set quickly into non-elastic solid masses which are unsuitable for bread or cake production. Alternatively, it has been taught that cakes containing untreated protopectin can be realized by formulating doughs of low gluten flours such as potato flour. (See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,865,757 issued Dec. 23, 1958 to W. Aurell).
Given the above-described problems and difficulties in providing any food products containing even minor amounts of residual juice vesicle material, it is not surprising that few art attempts have realized food products which comprise major amounts of this material. Thus, there is clearly a continuing need for new and useful food products which utilize this previously discarded material and which are organoleptically acceptable for sale as consumer products. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide edible, multi-purpose food products which contain major amounts of residual juice vesicles which are organoleptically acceptable.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide food products employing all of the juice vesicle.
In particular, it is a further object of the present invention to provide food products which do not require employment of dried juice vesicle material.
It has been suprisingly discovered that the above objectives can be realized and superior multipurpose food products provided by cooking, in the prescribed manner, blends of juice vesicles, nutritive sweetening agents, ungelatinized starch, acidulants and water.